1 July 2012

Best Crime Fiction 2012 - a mid year perspective

During 2012 I've been collecting readers' Picks of the Month but these lists don't always include all your best reads.
In past years I have invited blog readers to submit "best crime fiction reads".
At the beginning of this year I wrote a summary post for these collections from 2008 to 2011.

In past years I posted my "best reads" at the end of March, June, September and the end of the year, and invited others to contribute theirs as comments or links. For some reason I didn't do that this year at the end of March.

However it is never too late.
So here is your invitation to look back over your crime fiction reading for 2012 and to tell me title and author of your best 10 reads.
They do not need to be recent publications, and you can choose to give me your list as a comment or write your own post and give me a link to it. If Blogger comment turns uncooperative send me the information at kerrie dot smith at esc dot net dot au
I hope that makes sense.

I will aggregate all the lists and turn them into reading recommendations in posts in a couple of weeks' time.

Your help in advertising this activity via Twitter or on your blog would be much appreciated.
I've put a copy of the logo in the right hand column to help people locate the post.

To start the ball rolling, here are mine. You'll notice right off that there are more than 10 on my list, because these are the titles I have given 4.8 or more to. Feel free to take liberties with the numbers too.

GONE, Mo Hayder (2010)
A TRICK OF THE LIGHT, Louise Penny(2011)
THE QUARRY, Johan Theorin (2011)
THE BROTHERHOOD, Y.A. Erskine(2011)
A FEW RIGHT THINKING MEN, Sulari Gentill (2010)
THE CALLER, Karin Fossum (2011)
THE NOBODIES ALBUM, Carolyn Parkhurst(2010)
BEFORE THE POISON, Peter Robinson (2011)
SILENT FEAR, Katherine Howell (2012)
THE PRECIPICE, Virginia Duigan (2011)
CHELSEA MANSIONS, Barry Maitland (2011)
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Wendy James (2010)
THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE, Lena Kaarbol & Agnete Friis(2011)
1222, Anne Holt (2010)

After a suggestion from a contributor, could you add the year of publication to your list?
(I am aware this might be different for US and UK.)

14 comments:

LauraRoot said...

ASHES by Sergei Gakas
THE NAMELESS DEAD by Brian McGillowray
THE HOUR OF THE WOLF by Hakan Nesser
THE UNLUCKY LOTTERY by Hakan Nesser
THE BLACK PATH by Asa Larsson
ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER LIFE by Leif Persson
LIAR MOON by Ben Pastor
PRAGUE FATALE by Philip Kerr
THE INVISIBLE ONES by Steph Penney
EYES OF LIRA KAZAN by Eva Joly

Maxine Clarke said...

I'll try to do this. It might be an idea to have the date of first publication alongside the title/author of the book, as for these "best of" lists I like to know which are new books & which have stood the test of time by some amount.

Anonymous said...

Jose Ignacio said:
THE BURNING SOUL (2011) by John Connolly
MIXED BLOOD (2009) by Roger Smith
A WALK IN THE DARK (2010) by Gianrico Carofiglio
PHANTOM (2012) by Jo Nesbo
THE CALLER (2011) by Karin Fossum
HOUR OF THE WOLF (2012) by Hakan Nesser
UNTIL THY WRATH BE PAST (2011) by Åsa Larsson
THE RAGE (2012) by Gene Kerrigan
THE DROP (2011) by Michael Connelly
BLACK SKIES (2012) by Arnaldur Indridason

Marce said...

I haven't been impressed this year really so I won't have 10 but here are my few memorable choices.

Department Thirteen by James Houston Turner (2011)

Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen (2011)

Where all the Dead Lie (2011)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1979)

I look forward to the lists.

Bev Hankins said...

Here's my Top Ten Post

kathy d. said...

Here are my top 12 for this year:
1222 - Anne Holt
Inspector and Silence - Hakan Nesser
Hour of the Wolf - Hakan Nesser
The Invisible Ones - Stef Penney
Voice of the Violin - Andrea Camilleri
Beastly Things - Donna Leon
The Potter’s Field - Andrea Camilleri
The Boundary - Nicole Watson
I’ll See You in My Dreams - William Deverell
The Drop - Michael Connelly
The Rope - Nevada Barr
The Devotion of Suspect X

I read Until Thy Wrath Be Past and The Boy in the Suitcase last year or I'd have put them on the list.

TracyK said...

This is my list...

The Cambridge Theorem (1989) by Tony Cape
Believing the Lie (2012) by Elizabeth George
Berlin Game (1983) by Len Deighton
The Company of Strangers (2001) by Robert Wilson
Bluffing Mr. Churchill (2001) by John Lawton
The Redbreast (2006) by Jo Nesbo
In the Woods (2007) by Tana French
The Guards (2001) by Ken Bruen
An Empty Death (2009) by Laura Wilson
The Information Officer (2009) by Mark Mills

I also posted the list on my blog.

Bev Hankins said...

I've added my original publication dates.

kathy d. said...

I meant to add "Last Will" by Liza Marklund to my 2012 list.

I would have added Indridason's "Outrage," but I read it at the end of 2011. Have loaned it to friends recently and it's gotten raves.

Kerrie said...

From Arthur
THE BOOKS LISTED HAVE A PUBLICATION DATES EITHER 2010-2011
AND RANKS LISTED.
1. DEFENDING JACOB BY WILLIAM LANDAY 4.8
2.THE DROWNING BY CAMILLA LUCKBURG 4.9
3.THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST BY STUART NEVILLE 5.0
4.MISSING BY JANE CASEY 5.0
5.SNOW ANGELS BY JAMES THOMPSON 4.8
6.FIFTY GRAND ADRIAN MCKINTY 4.8
7.BURNED THOMAS ENGER 4.9
8.HIDDEN RIVER ADRIAN MCKINTY 5.0
9.AWAKENING S.J. BOLTON 4.7
10. IF THE DEAD RISE NOT BY PHILIP KERR 4.8

Margaret @ BooksPlease said...

Here's my list.

srivalli said...

Here is mine

Debbie Rodgers said...

Gillespie & I (Jane Harris, 2011)

The Return of Captain John Emmett (Elizabeth Speller, 2010)

The Innocence of Father Brown (G.K. Chesterton, 1911)

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Alan Bradley, 2011)

The Moonstone (Wilkie Collins, 1868)

gautami tripathy said...

I have posted my list here

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